Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-11-12


thick verdure waving like the palms o,
heaven. On the darkest clopd place
the rainbow, that billow Of the dying
storm. You need not burn the title on
the frame. The dullest will catch the
design at a glance, and say: THAT is
the road to heaven" All, me! On this
sea Of life what innumerable ships,
heavily-laden and well rugged, yet
some bound for another port. Swept
every whittier Of wind and ave, they
60 up by the mountains, they 60 down by
the pillows, and are at their wits end.
They sail by no chart, they watch no
star, they long for no harbor. l beg
every young nan to-day to draw out a
sketch Of what, by the grace of God, he
means to be, though in excellence so high
that you cannot reach it. He who
starts out in life with a high ideal of
character, and faith in its attainment,
will find himself encased from a thous-
and temptations.
MAGNIFICENT POSSIBILITIES.
There are magnificent possibilities
before each of YOU young men Of the
stout heart, and the buoyant step. and
the bounding spirit. | would marshal
you for grand achievement. God now
provides for you the fleet, and the
armor. and the Notifications: who is
on the Lords side? The captain of the
zouaves in ancient times, to encour-
age them against the immense odds on
the side of their enemies. said: Come,
my men, look these fellows in the face.
They are six thousand, you are three
hundred. Surely the match is even"
That speech gave them the victory. Be
not, my nearer, dismayed at any time
by what seems an immense odds
against you. Is fortune. is want Of
education, are men, are devils against
you, though the multitudes of earth
and hell confront you, stand
up to the charge. With a mil
lion against you, the match
is just even. Nay, you have a decided
advantage. II God be for us. who can
be against usp Thus protected, you
need not spend much time in nswer-
ing your assailants.
AN EXPERIENCE WITH IMPOSTORS.
Many years ago word came to me
that two impostors, as temperance lee
turers, had been speaking in Ohio in
various places, and giving their ex-
perience, and they told their audience
that they had long been intimate with
me. and had become drunkards by din
ing at my table. where | always had
liquors of all sorts. Indignant to the
last degree, l went down to Patrick
Campbell, chief of Brooklyn police,
saying l was going to start that night
for Ohio to have these villains arrested.
and | wanted him to tell me how to
make the arrest. He smiled and said:
''Do not waste your time by chasing
these men. Gro hsme and do your
work, and they can do you no harm"
l took his counsel and all was well.
Long ago I made up my mind that il
n will put his trust in God and be
faithful to duty, he need not fear any
evil. God on your side, young man,
and all the combined forces of earth
and hell can do you no damage.
And this leads me to say that the
migbtiest OF all defense for a young
man is the possession of thorough re.
ligious principle. Nothing can take
the place of it. He may have
manners that would put tc
shame the gracefulness and courtesy
OF a Lord Chesterfield. Foreign Ian,
guages may drop from his tongue. He
may be able to discuss literatures, and
laws, and foreign customs. He may
WELD a pen of unequalled polish ant
power. His quiokness and tact may
qualify him for the highest salary o.
the counting house. He may be AZ
sharp as Herod and as strong as Sam
son, with as fine locks as those which
hung Absalom, still he is
NOT SAFE FROM CONTAMINATION.
The more elegant his manner, and thu
more fascinating his dress, the more
peril. Satan does not care much for
the allegiance of a coward and litter,
ate being. He can bring him into eff
ficient service. But he loves to storm
that castle of character which has in i
the most spoIls and treasures. 1t was
no some crazy craft creeping along
the coast with a valueless cargo tina
the pirate attacked, but the ship, full
winged and tagged, plying between
great ports, carrying it's million o.
specie. The more your natural ant
acquired accomplishments, the more
need Of the religion Of Jesus. Tha'
does not cut in upon or hack up any
smoothness of disposition or behavior
1t gives Symmetry. 1t arrests that il
the soul which ought to be arrested
and propels that which ought to bt
propelled. 1t fills up the gulleys. il
~elevates and transforms. To beauty i
gives more beauty, to tact more tact
to enthusiasm Of nature more en-
thusiasm. When the Holy Spirit i'm
presses the image of God On the heart
he does not spoil the my Ii in al
the multitudes Of young men upor
whom religion has acted you could tint
one nature that had been the leas'
damaged. / would yield this propo
sition. You may now have enough
strength of character to repel Tho
various temptations TO gross wicked
ness which assail YOU, bu'
| do not know in what strait